UCL and Loughborough University London have launched the Creative Experience Lab London (CELL), a new collaborative hub based on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. CELL aims to drive innovation at the intersection of the creative industries, digital technology, and the experience economy.
The Lab brings together researchers, cultural organisations, and pioneering businesses to explore how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, immersive media, haptics, and robotics can transform the way people create, interact, and experience culture. By fostering cross-sector collaboration, CELL will support projects that enhance the UK’s creative and cultural landscape across performance, heritage, the built environment, sport, leisure, and retail.
CELL builds on a successful pilot launched in 2024, which supported six prototype projects. These included innovations such as AI dance partners, multi-site theatre performances, and interactive museum installations. The initiative already involves more than 15 partner organisations from across London’s cultural, creative, and technology sectors, with further collaborators expected to join as the programme expands.